Service Policies

Archbishop Carroll High School challenges students to live their faith and work for justice in society. As a school community, we witness to the Word of God by putting our faith into action. Jesus promises us that whenever we serve “the least of His brothers and sisters,” we serve Him. Our hope is to promote service learning that is transformative for the student, emphasizing quality of service and reflection.

Students are required to complete a minimum of ten hours per year of Discipleship Service, for a total of 40 hours by graduation. Students are strongly encouraged to complete more than ten hours per year and to continue submit service hour forms so that they can be recognized at assemblies and other gatherings. The minimum requirement needs to be met by the end of third quarter each year for a student to begin the following year in good standing.

Junior Class Soup Kitchen

In conjunction with the Social Justice Class, juniors embark on a Service Learning Program about hunger and homelessness. As a part of this program all Juniors are assigned to serve 2-3 times at a soup kitchen during the school year. More information will be provided by the Social Justice Teachers. These hours will be performed during the school day, and do not count toward the minimum Discipleship Service requirement for the Junior Year.

Junior Class Activism Project

In conjunction with the Social Justice Class, students create an Activism Project. Five hours of service for the project may be counted towards the yearly service requirement once they are approved by the social justice teacher.

Acceptable Types of Service

Students are encouraged to seek Discipleship Service opportunities aligned with the Corporal Works of Mercy:

* Feed the hungry

* Shelter the homeless

* Clothe the naked

* Visit the sick and imprisoned

* Bury the dead

Students should engage in direct service to aid a population in need.

The Christian Service Coordinator will sponsor and lead several Discipleship Service opportunities throughout the school year. Students should also arrange service opportunities for themselves outside of school. Suggestions and contact information for Discipleship Service sites can be found in the Campus Ministry Room. Students should also check the ACHS website for Ongoing Service Opportunities and Approved Community Service Sites.

The following types of service would be acceptable according to this policy:

* Nursing Homes

* Assisted living facilities

* Rehabilitation Centers

* Hospitals

* Soup Kitchens

* Food Banks/Pantries

* Environmental work (for freshmen and sophomores only).

Participation in fundraisers that raise awareness for life-threatening diseases and illnesses such as:

Regarding Volunteer Service to ACHS after school

Only Freshmen and Sophomores are permitted to count volunteer service to the ACHS community toward the minimum Discipleship Service requirement. This may include Open House, peer tutoring supervised by a teacher, and other events that benefit the community. (We cannot accept clerical work or helping out with ACHS sports teams.) This service should be approved in advance by the Christian Service Coordinator. Juniors and Seniors are permitted to submit these types of hours to the Christian Service Coordinator, but they will not count toward the minimum Discipleship Service requirement.

Unacceptable Types of Service

* Work for which the student is paid

* Off-site Clerical Work– filing, telephones, etc.

* Overnight Retreats

* Service not approved by the Christian Service Coordinator

* Service completed during the school day.

Submitting Hours

Service hours should be submitted online at www.x2vol.com. Log in to the account you created, click on the “Activity Hours” tab and then click “Add an activity of your own.” From there, fill out the required form which includes the name of the organization you worked with, the date of service, the amount of hours served, a description of your service and a reflection on it, and contact information (name, phone number, and email) for a supervisor at your service site.

Please make sure to get the CONTACT INFORMATION at your site so that you can accurately submit the form. Site supervisors will be contacted to verify service so hours submitted without this information will be denied.

After service hours have been logged, the Christian Service Coordinator will accept or deny the hours. You will be able to see the status of your hours on the website and if they are denied, an explanation will be provided. Some reasons for denial may include- forms are not filled out completely, hours submitted do not meet the acceptable types of Christian service provided, hours are not submitted in a timely manner, or accurate dates of service are not provided.

If you experience difficulty logging onto the website or adding hours, please contact either the Christian Service Coordinator or the website’s help service. The site has a password retrieval function if needed. Do not create a new account.

NOTE: The online forms are meant to be filled out each time a student performs service. However, a student may submit one form for a range of dates as long as the service is performed at the same service site and a supervisor can account for all hours worked. If this is the case, please list the dates and times of service in the service description or note section of the form.

Additional Information

When in doubt, students should get approval from the Christian Service Coordinator prior to engaging in service. Failure to do so may result in completed hours being disqualified if the hours do not meet the given criteria.

The Christian Service Coordinator has ample resources to assist students in contacting agencies and organizations to complete their service requirement. Please stop by the campus ministry office or check the school’s website (under campus ministry) for a list of possible service sites.

Deadlines

All Christian service hours must be submitted by:

Oct. 23rd for 1st quarter

Jan. 15th for 2nd quarter

Mar. 20th for 3rd quarter

Jun 5th for 4th quarter

In order to guarantee hours will appear on report cards and for students to be considered for quarterly service awards. Hours completed within the quarter may be counted until the last day of each quarter, but will not be accepted after that time. For example, hours completed in the first quarter will be not be accepted if they are logged in the 3rd quarter. They must be submitted by the end of the 1st quarter.

Notes

Summer hours must be logged within the first quarter.

We cannot accept summer hours for Incoming Freshmen.

ALL senior hours must be submitted by May 1st.

Failure to Complete

Students must complete the required number of discipleship service hours each year. Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors who do not complete their minimum required hours by the deadline will be placed on Discipleship Service Probation. They will not be permitted to participate in sports, clubs, or other activities until all Discipleship Service hours for the prior year are turned in and verified. Students must log make-up hours by August 1st to begin participating in activities for the new school year.

Seniors must complete their minimum required hours by the end of third quarter to be allowed to attend the prom. Seniors must complete their required hours by the fourth quarter deadline established by Campus Ministry in order to participate in graduation and baccalaureate.